Federal Investigation After Death in Tank Blast at Speedway Store

A 57-year-old man died following an explosion and fire in a fuel tank he was cleaning at a convenience shop just north of Binghamton.

New York State Police say Arthur Hines of Syracuse was killed in Friday afternoon's incident at the Speedway store at 704 Front Street in the town of Dickinson.

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The explosion happened around 1:40 p.m. as Hines was working on a tank-cleaning project that started earlier this week.

Hines was working for the Syracuse division of Environmental Products and Services of Vermont.

An Environmental Products and Services of Vermont truck near the tank that was being cleaned. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

Binghamton, Chenango and Five Mile Point fire departments were sent to the scene, along with law enforcement agencies.

Firefighters wearing protective breathing gear lowered a ladder into the tank about 2 p.m. They quickly determined the worker had not survived.

Firefighters on the scene minutes after an explosion in a fuel tank at the Speedway station on Front Street. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration will investigate the death to determine what caused the deadly explosion.

A neighborhood resident had been told the tank project at the gas station was expected to take up to six weeks to complete.

Representatives of Environmental Products and Services of Vermont could not be reached for comment.

Old Front Street in the town of Dickinson was closed for hours after the tank explosion on September 20, 2019. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

Workers were in the process of cleaning fuel tanks at the Speedway store on Front Street in the town of Dickinson when an explosion and fire occurred on September 20, 2019. (Photo: New York State Police)

Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com

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